Aozaki Aoko Case File [476] (Patreon)

"Eh? If you can use the Mordenkainen's disjunction now, then doesn't that mean I can...?" Simon, seeing Aoko successfully advance, suddenly remembered the helmet on his head—maybe it could be removed.

"No way," Aoko turned back, her expression instantly stern as she glared at Simon. "Your ancestor asked me to watch over you. You must successfully attune with the Helmet of disjunction!"

"But I've tried so many times already," Simon slumped onto a rock in defeat, oozing negative energy. "Every time, that old man with the headscarf appears, knocks me, and throws me out. My back is almost broken!"

"Calm down, Simon!" Edgin sat beside Simon, comforting him with a firm look. "I believe you can do it—you must do it."

"Not only that," Aoko shook her head, her tone softening slightly. "My only 9th-level spell slot has to be used against Sofina. I suspect she might have a legendary magical item."

"Sigh, fine..." Simon sighed, spinning the Helmet in his hands. "But seriously, with so many magic items on you, are you sure it's safe to use Mordenkainen's disjunction?"

"I've studied this carefully," Aoko explained. "Mordenkainen's disjunction actually has two casting modes. One is centered on yourself, destroying all magical items in range. The other focuses the disjunction on a single target magical item."

"The second method has a higher chance of destroying artifact-level items and a greater chance of dispersing anti-magic fields."

"Do you think the Helmet of disjunction can do that?" Simon mused. "If the helmet is also centered on the user, won't all my magical items be destroyed even if I succeed in attuning?"

"It shouldn't," Aoko replied. "I've studied the permanent spells on the helmet. Elminster set it to a fan-shaped area. The radius is still long, but as long as you don't point it at allies... it should be fine."

"Alright," Simon exhaled. "If I manage to attune to this helmet, I'll tell you in advance where I'm aiming before I use it."

"Shall we head back to near Neverwinter now?" Edgin asked eagerly.

"We need to return to Myconid Village to find Omeluum," Aoko thought for a moment. "I promised to help him look for the Tongue of Madness and alchemical potion recipes."

"Wait, you really trust that mind flayer?" Holga couldn't hold it in—she had no good impression of that octopus-headed guy.

"He has a technique I'm interested in," Aoko said as she checked her alchemy materials and recipes. "It's about psychic defense. I'm currently lacking in that area."

"But don't worry about me wasting time. You guys pack up, I'll be back soon!" With that, Aoko disappeared in a flash of magic in the Arcane tower.

Ten minutes later, she returned to the Arcane Tower with a book and a ring.

"So fast?" Edgin asked.

"Of course. After I finished the errand, Omeluum buried himself in research and ignored me." Aoko waved her ring and book. "Now we can set out. Let's go to the Mornbryn's Shield and find Xenk!"

Edgin's face darkened at this, but he quickly recovered, as if the expression had been an illusion.

Just as Edgin feared, when Aoko and Simon (using a scroll) each brought part of the group and constructs via teleportation to the Mornbryn's Shield, they were greeted not only by Xenk but also by two Harpers squads. More were reportedly on the way.

One of the Harper mages, smiling, pulled Edgin aside for a chat—clearly an old colleague, so no one disturbed them.

"The situation is close to the worst we anticipated," Xenk told Aoko and the others. "Harpers' scouts have recently seen a large number of unidentified people traveling by boat into Neverwinter along the north river."

"I suppose they aren't ordinary tourists?" Aoko narrowed her eyes at Xenk.

"Right," Xenk nodded gravely. "I'm 100% sure they're the assassin corps sent by Szass Tam. The team we met in the Underdark was just the vanguard."

"Looks like we put too much pressure on Szass Tam," Aoko frowned, recalling her limited encounters with Sofia. "This plan must be very important to Thay, worth risking so many agents in Neverwinter. The Red Wizards are serious..."

"Exactly," Xenk confirmed. "Besides the Thayan assassins, there may be more Red Wizards hidden inside Neverwinter... The coming battle could be very tough. I’d only planned to help you till you got the Helmet of disjunction, but now I can’t just stop there."

"If Sofina succeeds, Thay's undead army will snowball," Aoko paced, speculating on the consequences of failure. "At the very least, Luskan can't withstand them. In a direct clash, we’d need Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate to join... And Szass Tam isn’t stupid—he’ll consolidate his advantage if things go well."

"So we cannot fail," Xenk said firmly. "If we do, it will mean tens or even hundreds of thousands of innocents around Neverwinter will die, be turned into undead, and become tools for Szass Tam’s ambition!"

"We also can't just rely on outside help to deal with Forge and Sofina," Edgin, returning from his chat, said seriously. "We’d better inform Neverwinter’s own defenses about the Red Wizards’ plot... Only then can we turn their advantage into ours."

"I see the return of a true Harper," Xenk said sincerely to Edgin.

"Leave it to us," the Harper mage clapped Edgin on the shoulder. "We Harpers are experts at getting the word out, right, Edgin?"